Is CBGB Coming Back?
There it was at 315 Bowery at Bleeker, the world’s most famous scuzzy rock club and, for all intents and purposes, the birthplace of punk. CBGB survived from 1973 through to October 15, 2006, when it finally fell victim to gentrification and high rent.
Before he died of lung canacer a year later, owner Hilly Kristal had talked about moving much of the club’s contents to a new location. Las Vegas? That was a possibility.
But then Hilly passed and there was a battle between his daughter and an ex-wife over the estate that took a while to sort out. His daughter, Lisa Kristal Burgman, ending up winning the $3 million estate, taking control of whatever the lawyers and creditors didn’t scoop up.
So where’s all the stuff from the original CBGB? In a basement somewhere, apparently. And there’s talk that someone is looking to set it up somewhere new in Manhattan. According to one source, the plan is to make the new place look just like the old one. )All I ask is that they don’t replicate the old bathrooms. The horror.)
Nice idea, but you know that it won’t be the same. I have mixed feelings on this. Yes, New York needs clubs like this to incubate new bands and sounds. But to try and replicate the original vibe of CBGBs? That can’t be forced.
We’ll see if any of this comes to pass.
I finally got to see a show at CBGB in its final year before they closed down and it was definitely a great experience. Yes, the bathroom was brutal (one bar of soap to share between patrons, the "throne" toilet) and the beer sucked but the show was great. The furniture was old, some of the chairs were those old school vinyl upholstered, chrome framed, cafeteria, waiting room chairs. The floors were caked in years of sweat, booze and blood and the walls were pretty much held up by band stickers and posters. I don't think it's a great idea to recreate it but it would be cool to put pieces of the old place in the new one as an homage.
The old marquis is set up at the Rock & Roll H.O.F in Cleveland in the basement.